PEORIA — In a five-page filing, the city of Peoria denied it violated the state’s Freedom of Information Act when it refused to give the Journal Star a police report last year.

Rather, City Hall contends it didn’t have to turn over the report because a ruling last fall by the attorney general’s public access bureau was a “non-binding advisory opinion” and “exempt under FOIA.”

The paper sued City Hall in early May and wants a judge to order the report released as well as attorney fees and possible civil penalties.

The report in question was written by Sgt. Kerrie Davis last summer and purportedly contains allegations of misconduct while on duty by the Target Offender Unit, a group tasked under the Don’t Shoot anti-gun violence program to build cases against those who are perpetuating street violence.

Journal Star reporter Matt Buedel requested a copy of the report under the FOI Act but city officials said no, saying the report wouldn’t be released as it was related to an ongoing disciplinary matter. The attorney general’s public access bureau, however, sided with the paper, saying while the report was related to a pending matter, the city had given no facts for why it thought release of the report would interfere with the investigation.

But in their reply, filed Wednesday in Peoria County Circuit Court, city leaders say they didn’t submit the entire report, only samples of it as well as an affidavit describing what was in the report.

A hearing on the matter has not been set.

Andy Kravetz can be reached at 686-3283 or akravetz@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @andykravetz.